1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for recording or reproducing both video and audio signals on the same recording medium. More particularly, the invention relates to a so-called "after recording" recording technique for recording audio signals on a recording medium after video signals have been recorded, i.e. after picking up a still image and recording a video signal of the picked up still image an audio signal is recorded along with an identification of the associated video signal so that they can be reproduced synchronously. The invention also relates to an editing technique for editing recorded information including erasure of recorded information.
2. Description of the Background Art
European Patent First Publication No. 0 180 477, published on May 7, 1986 discloses a signal recording or reproducing apparatus for recording a video signal indicative of a still image and an audio signal. The video and audio signals are recorded on a magnetic disk having a plurality of recording tracks. In the disclosed system, each of the recording tracks records one field of video signal or 10 seconds of audio signal. The video signal and the audio signal can be recorded on a magnetic disk as the recording medium in various modes. For instance, the video signal and the audio signal can be recorded on the magnetic disk independently of each other in an independent recording mode and the audio signal can be associated with the video signal to be reproduced synchronously with reproduction of the associated video signal in an associating recording mode. In the latter mode, the audio signal to be associated with the still image can include an identification code of one of the tracks which stores the associated video signal.
The co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 918,514, filed on Oct. 10, 1986, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,537, issued Oct. 11, 1988, discloses an audio signal reproducing technique in an electronic still image recording or reproducing apparatus which records a video signal indicative of a still image and an audio signal in a manner similar to that discussed with respect to the European Patent First Publication No. 0 180 477. The invention disclosed in the above-identified U.S. patent application is directed to a technique for recording audio signals to be associated with one still image on a plurality of recording tracks.
In that apparatus, information regarding the order of reproduction of the audio signals on different recording tracks becomes necessary for reproducing the audio signals in a desired order. Therefore, an information signal is generated which includes information regarding the leading track number, the immediately following track number and the track number of one of the recording tracks storing the associated video signal. A table memory can be provided for storing information corresponding to that recorded with the audio signal and establishing a table showing the relationship between the information stored in the respective tracks on the magnetic disk. This table memory can allow smooth selection of the associated tracks and thus allow smooth reproduction of the video signal and associated audio signals.
In such a video and audio signal recording or reproducing apparatus, however, it would be desirable to provide the capability of editing the recorded information.